The game of golf is an immensely popular activity that is played throughout the world. The premise of the game requires ball control for purpose of completing a course in as few strokes as possible. Skill is a major consideration in obtaining lower scores but the technology has also advanced to allow even an amateur to obtain a respectable score. Unfortunately, the popularity of the game and the high cost of golf equipment results in a problem with theft. While theft of golf equipment is not new, the use of high technology materials such as titanium and graphite has resulted in golf manufacturing of extremely expensive equipment.
Modern golf clubs consist of a matched set of irons and woods. The irons range in numbers from one through nine while woods generally range in numbers from one through four. Woods can, however, continue in number five through nine. Typically there are two golf clubs which command special attention to the golfer and to the golf club manufacturers. These are the driver and the putter. Because technology has focused in on these two clubs in particular, the desirability and the price of a driver and a putter has increased even beyond the price of modern and expensive golf clubs. A single driver can cost hundreds of dollars. A single putter can also cost hundreds of dollars. As a result, these two clubs in particular are subject to being stolen.
The golf clubs can be stolen from automobiles, public and private golf courses, during traveling or any other situation where the clubs or golf bag are left unattended for a brief period of time. Typically, the clubs are stolen from golf bags which contain all of the clubs of a golfer. For example, while a golf bag is on a golf cart, or at a golf rack along with dozens of other bags, or the golf club bag is being handled by a valet who takes the clubs to and from the golfer's car, or any other time where the clubs are left unattended for a brief period of time, a person can easily take the putter and the driver, multiple clubs, or the entire bag without being noticed. In such a situation, the inconvenience to the golfer is significant.
For these reasons, numerous golf locking devices have been disclosed with various forms of success. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 1,770,060 discloses an anti-theft golf club receptacle that allows for capturing of the shafts of a golf club within an encasement which is lockable. The theft device pivots so as to cause golf club shaft openings to change in diametric size.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,717,959 discloses a golf club locking mechanism having at least two plate members with a centrally located pivot that allows a bottom plate member to move thereby changing the diametric size of openings to capture each golf club shaft therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,753 discloses yet another device for securing golf clubs. Clubs placed within slots are captured in the slot by movement of an underlying piece thereby decreasing the dimensional size of the slot opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,728 discloses a two piece pivoting shelf which operates as a lid for a golf club bag for securing the shafts of a group of golf clubs therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,735 discloses yet another golf bag security device. This device consists of multiple plate members having a centrally disposed pivot that allows the diameter of the hole openings to change upon rotation of the lower plate members.
However, what is lacking in the art is a golf club locking device that is simplistic in its component construction making it affordable for all consumers.